Note: This is the sermon manuscript that Ben carried into the pulpit. Feel free to use it in any way to advance the kingdom of God.
Christianity 101:
From Learning to Living
Romans 12:1-8
Englewood Baptist Church
Sunday Morning, June 29, 2008
I will never forget the first time I got behind the wheel of a car. My mother and I were going somewhere. She had run inside the house to grab her purse and I decided that I would shock her by backing the mini-van out of the garage. I was not old enough to drive, but I assumed it was simple. So I slid over to the driver’s seat, put it in gear, and pushed the gas, and the gar moved! Unfortunately, the gar moved forward instead of backward and I took out the front wall of the garage along with my Dad’s Craftsman Toolbox. It was a sad, sad day for the entire family.
A year later, I found myself in Drivers’ Education class—a course that I clearly needed—and we studied traffic laws and the function of every button and knob in a car. And when we had learned all about the anatomy of a vehicle, it was time to get behind the wheel. The rubber had to meet the road. It was application time, and I remember a little bit of fear residing in my heart when it came time to apply what I had learned. I was afraid that I was going to mess up again.
As we have studied the book of Romans now for 15 weeks, we have waded through some heavy doctrinal material and now it’s application time. We began in the early chapters with a full discussion of the downward spiral of sin and the wrath of God that burns against rebellious humanity. We were introduced the concept of justification in chapter 5, and we learned that we have been made right with God through the work of Jesus Christ. His righteousness has become our righteousness. Then in Romans 8, we studied the love of God—that there is no power under heaven that can separate us from that love. God predestined that we would become conformed into the image of His Son and we can rest in confidence that he will see us glorified. In Romans 9, we saw the sovereignty of God over salvation and in Romans 10, we learned about the necessity of evangelism—that people cannot be saved if they do not hear the good news of Jesus Christ.
Today, I want to move ahead to chapter 12 of Romans and begin to talk about what this means for our daily living. It is time to apply what we have learned. It’s time to talk about where the rubber meets the road. After all, what good is it for you to come for 15 weeks and have a head full of knowledge if you never get to the point of using it? That would be like a chef that never cooks a meal, or a graduate of law school that refuses to enter a courtroom. What’s the point of knowledge if it is never applied?
Look with me in Romans 12, Paul is about to say “Therefore.” What he means is, “In light of this heavy theological discussion, let’s talk about what it means for us today.
How To Live Out Your Faith
Read Romans 12:1-2
1. Love God by giving Him all of you.
Vv.1-2 deal with sacrifice. V.1 says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices. You can recall the OT practice of sacrifice. When that animal was offered to the Lord, it cost that creature everything. It was a whole sacrifice and when you offer yourself to the Lord, it is the same deal. It will cost you everything. He expects you to lay it all on the altar.
In the Old Testament, when these animals were slain and put on the altar, they were, of course, dead. But there are two examples of living sacrifices in the Bible and they help us understand what this really means. The first is Isaac (Gen. 22); the second is our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaac willingly put himself on the altar and would have died in obedience to God’s will, but the Lord sent a ram to take his place. Isaac didn’t die physically that day, but he “died” just the same—he died to self and willingly yielded himself to the will of God. When he got off that altar, Isaac was a “living sacrifice” to the glory of God.
We live in a day of prenuptial agreements. Before entering marriage, the man says to the woman, “You can have all of me, but you’re never going to get the boat or the mutual funds. You understand that, right? We are partners in every way, but I am going to hold on to a few precious possessions. That’s not a biblical concept of marriage. That is not two becoming one. That is one person refusing to die to self.
In the same way, people today claim to follow the Lord, but there are certain things that they hold back from him. They don’t put it all on the altar and present it all to Him. The old hymn goes like this, “All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give.” What we have learned from the first 11 chapters of Romans is that this God in heaven has given all so that we might live and he now expects the same from us. Like Isaac, we must lay down on that altar as a living sacrifice.
Of course, our Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect illustration of a “living sacrifice,” because He actually died as a sacrifice, in obedience to His Father’s will. But He arose again. And today He is in heaven as a “living sacrifice,” bearing in His body the wounds of Calvary. He is our High Priest (Heb. 4:14–16) and our Advocate (1 John 2:1) before the throne of God.
And now, He is calling us to follow his example and to make once-and-for-all commitment to be living sacrifices. Well, what does that involve?
What does it mean to give God all of you?
It involves three key components…
Give God your body.
V.1, “…offer your bodies as living sacrifices….” Turn with me in your Bible to 1 Cor. 6. Let me share a few verses with you…
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20
Do you realize that your body is one of the most wonderful gifts that God has provided for you? With your eyes, you can see the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. With your ears, you can hear Canon in D as it is played at a wedding. With your nose, you can smell hot, cheesy pizza coming fresh out of the oven. With your fingers, you can feel the soft top of a baby’s head. With your feet, you can walk along the shores of a bright blue ocean. God designed every part of your body to bless you, but what do we do as sinful human beings? We turn a blessing into a curse.
We use our eyes to view scantily clad women. We use our ears to listen to gossip. We use our nose to sniff drugs. We use our fingers to take money from the register. We use our feet to guide us to the house of adultery. These bodies of ours are the temple of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I want you to skip back a few verses in 1 Cor. 6 and read these verses with me…
The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 1 Cor. 6:13b-15
Did you catch that? The Bible says, “Wherever you take the body, you take the Lord.” It’s kind of like when a teenage boy shows up with flowers for his first date. The boy checks his cologne at the door, rings the door bell, and then he is greeted by a large father. This father has penetrating eyes, but let’s the boy in. And just as soon as that boy enters the foyer, the daddy makes sure that his daughter is not coming and then says quietly, “Don’t you do anything with my daughter that you wouldn’t do in my presence. Do you understand?” The trembling boy says, “Yes, Sir.” And guess what happens, hours later, when he brings her back to the door, that girl looks at him and says, “How about a kiss goodnight?” And that boy is very interested in meeting the request, but just over the girl’s shoulder is window, with the curtain pulled back. He sees those eyes, and says to his new girlfriend, “I think we ought to hold off on that.” What restrained that young man? It was a healthy level of fear.
In the same way, you and I ought to know that our bodies belong to the Lord. Proverbs 15:3,
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere.” And wherever we go, we take Him with us. We should not unite light with darkness. Do not take your body to any place that you would not take the Lord. Remember that gentleman, when you are tempted to unite your eyes with impurity, or you’re your hands with filthy money. You are called you to be clean—holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Give God your body.
Before I married my wife, I thought I was a pretty clean and neat person. I never let my college dorm room look like a pigsty. When I graduated, my bachelor pad never had much mold on the shower curtain. But then I went to the marriage altar and moved in with a woman and I quickly realized that there is a whole new level of clean. It’s not just the countertop or the table that has to be squeaky clean. I learned that there are baseboards in a house and there are areas behind a toilet I didn’t even know existed, and the garage is an extension of the house and should follow the same rules of order. And today, because of the influence of my wife, I am a much cleaner person than I was before.
Now, where am I going with this? You ask. Let me tell you. When you begin to walk with Jesus, he begins to point out areas in your life that are unclean. Without even knowing it, you have tolerated filth and impurity to remain in your house. And now, because you have presented yourself as a living sacrifice, you have exposed yourself. Your whole body is laid out on that altar, and God will call you to be holy and pleasing to Him. You are to conduct your body in such a way that you are above reproach. You are so pure that people search your life over with a magnifying glass and they can find no trace of dirt.
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Eph. 5:3
Give God your mind.
Look at v.2. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The world wants to conform you. The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform you and transform your mind (see Eph. 4:17–24; Col. 3:1–11). This word transform has come into our English language as the word “metamorphosis.” It describes a change from within. Just as the fuzzy caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, God wants to take your fuzzy mind and turn into something wonderful.
Now how does that happen? How can we do our part to renew our mind? Should we be like the Buddhist who sits crosslegged on a mat in a quiet room and chants meaningless words over and over? How do we present our minds to God?
1. By reading His Word
God makes us spiritually minded by using His Word. It is called the sword of the Spirit and it is powerful. There are Christians all over the world that live defeated lives. They are filled with fear, anxiety, doubt, and they have no assurance of their salvation. They are like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. They have a form of godliness yet deny its power. If I were to take a poll today and ask “How many of you believe that this is the perfect, inerrant Word of God that can thoroughly equip you for every good work? Most people, if not all, would say, YES. But, if I were to follow that up with a second question, “How many of you have spent more than 15 minutes reading this book in the past week? Would the same people raise their hands? I hope so! But I know that many people neglect the Word and in doing so, they become weak-minded.
You have heard the old expression, “Garbage In, Garbage Out.” It is true. And in this world that we live in, we are constantly bombarded with trashy images and unbiblical comments from the media. Unless we live on a deserted island, we cannot avoid all negative influences. However, we can combat those things—we can prevent being conformed to the world by renewing our mind and being transformed by the Word of God. You would be amazed how much Scripture you can take through 10 minutes of Bible reading a day, and you will be even more amazed at the spiritual muscle that will form as a result.
A second way to give God your mind…
2. By reading (or listening) to godly dialogue.
I am a book guy. I love reading. My wife would tell you that I am constantly opening up new books. I’ll have 4 or 5 going at the same time. I just love to read because it stimulates my mind. Not only that, but because of time and travel limitations, I don’t have the privilege of sitting down and talking with Billy Graham or James Dobson or David Jeremiah. But I can have a dialogue with them through their writings. I rarely read without a pen in my hand, because I like to talk back. I make lots of notes in the margin. Often at the end of a chapter, I will write 3 or 4 sentences summarizing what I have read. This is my workout plan for my brain.
In our culture, we are constantly told to work out our muscles. We need to spend time more time in the gym with weights and barbells. We need to stretch our legs and run ½ marathons. These are good things, but remember what the Bible says,
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Tim. 4:8 (NIV)
Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. (1 Tim. 4:8 The Message)
You can build up your biceps until they look like grapefruits—and more power to you—but understand that you are foolish if you do nothing to stretch your mind. Maybe you hate to read. OK, then consider some sermons on cd or a radio broadcast that features Christian discussion, or a podcast that you can take in on the way to work. Use the media in a positive way. Be intentional and develop a workout plan for your mind. In doing so, you will be fit both today and forever. Give your mind to God.
Now, one last element in giving yourself wholly to God. Present your body, present your mind, but also,
Give God your will.
The end of v. 2 talks about the importance of living in God’s will. Let me read it, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Why is the will important? Your mind controls what your body does, but your will controls your mind. Many people think they can control their will by “willpower,” but usually they fail. This was Paul’s experience as recorded in Rom. 7. Remember what he said,
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Rom. 7:18
Have you ever been lying in bed when the alarm clock went off and it feels like 1 AM. You know that you need get up. You have the desire, but you just can’t carry it out. So you hit the Snooze button 9 times.
Paul felt that same struggle with sin. He said, “I don’t have the will power to do what I ought to be doing!” He learned that it is only when we yield the will to God that His power can take over and give us the strength that we need to be victorious Christians. How many times do we make decisions to turn over a new leaf, to start a new exercise program, to treat our spouses better, to read through the Bible in a year?
We make these decisions, but then don’t have the willpower to see it through. So what’s the problem? We lack power and that power comes only through disciplined times of prayer. Let me say it again, “You are powerless without prayer.” But when you invest time in prayer and solitude, you surrender your will to God and you will begin to pray, like Jesus, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.” We must pray about everything, and let God have His way in everything.
There is a classic book on prayer called The Kneeling Christian. I have been sharing this with those who are in the prayer room on Sunday mornings because it is a reminder of the truth. Look what it says,
“There is nothing that the devil dreads so much as prayer. His great concern is to keep us from praying. He loves to see us ‘up in our eyes’ in work—provided we do not pray. He does not fear because we are eager and earnest Bible students—provided we are little in prayer. Someone has wisely said, ‘Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.’” --excerpt from The Kneeling Christian
The reason that the devil trembles when you and I pray is because we have tapped into a power source that is a billion times strong than sheer willpower. Prayer puts us in touch with Almighy God and we begin to understand His will for our lives. You and I must daily surrender our will to the Lord. This is what the Bible means when it says that when we are weak, we are strong because when we are weak, we are prayerful!
Well, how is this done? How do we become people of prayer? Does this mean you have to get up before the rooster and pray at 4 AM. Not necessarily. It might mean that instead of listening to Hank Williams Jr. on your commute to work, you drive in silence and pray. You pour your heart out to God and share with Him your burdens and desires. I can tell you one thing that I do. Every day when I drive to church, I try to be mindful to intercede for others in prayer. I have one particular stoplight that is my “Lynley light.” I know that sounds corny. When I drive past that point, it is a reminder to me to pray for my wife and ask God to strengthen her faith and here character. Use landmarks to remind you to pray. And pray regularly for your spouse.
As far as your children go, pick a day of the week and focus your prayers on one particular child. Pray for your first child on Monday, your second child on Tuesday, and so on. Just ideas.
Pray for missionaries. Most missionaries have little picture cards that they hand out for people to put on their refrigerator or to tuck in their Bibles. I have one in my devotional book at home of Blane DeLoach, who spoke in one of our services this year. God has laid him on my heart and I am now one of his secret weapons. I can’t take a trip across the globe, but I can call upon the power of Heaven to sustain him and renew his passion for the lost. I can do that through prayer. Use your own creativity and do what works for you. The most important thing is that you do it. Prayer is a powerful weapon to sharpen and renew your mind. As you pray, you will surrender your will to God.
This past week, I have been invested an enormous amount of time preparing a premarital counseling course for all couples that get married here at Englewood. Because of the staggering rate of divorce, we are going to require 15 hours of premarital coaching before any couple reaches the altar. We are not going to do any more “quickie” weddings. There is too much at stake. Since I preached on marriage on Father’s Day, I have received numerous from couples asking ffor help and resources in strengthening a marriage. And let me say this—if your marriage is taking a turn for the worse, do not wait until it hits rock bottom before seeking help. Be sensitive to your marriage and keep it strong.
But this is why I brought up this topic of marriage. One of the truths I was reminded of this week was this. Human nature is such that once we become secure in a relationship, we tend to put less thought and work into it. You see this in dating. A young man will spend 30 hours planning a date with a girl on Friday night, but once he gets her to say “yes” and she marries him, what happens? He expects a prize for taking her to Kroger and McDonald’s on Friday night. He works at the relationship less because he feels secure in it. This causes a lot of problems in marriage.
But this part of human nature also causes a problem in our relationship with God. Once we become secure in our relationship with the Lord—once we know we are on are way to heaven—we have a tendency to get comfortable in the relationship and we stop working at it. Those things we did at first like Scripture reading, prayer walking, sharing Jesus with others—we stop doing those and we become lukewarm in relation to God.
This is why Paul says, “If you really want to worship God, then present yourself to him daily—as a living sacrifice.” Make him a priority and put him first in your life…and then you will know what His good, pleasing and perfect will is.
